5 Things You Need to Know to Build a Successful Cloud Reseller Business

There is no lack of reasons to become a cloud reseller. Necessary upfront investment is relatively low. The subscription model offers opportunities for steady income in the long-term perspective. Numerous vendor and distributor-led partner programs offer extensive benefits and incentives,however, there’s a lot more to becoming a successful cloud reseller and delighting your customers.

Here are a few tips on building a thriving business on cloud solutions.

1. Know your cloud(s)…

With myriads of cloud solutions on the market, customers face an abundance of opportunities. This is where a well-versed reseller can step in and add value, expertly navigating between different cloud platforms, services and products. How to gain this expert knowledge? Taking advantage of partner program trainings, workshops and accreditations and resources available to business partners, will enable you with the skills and knowledge you need to have a business solution conversation with your client without bombarding them with all the technicalities.

2. …and your clients

Accompanying clients on their journey to the cloud has never been more important. Understanding your client’s business model, their goals and challenges is key to being a trusted advisor and add value. Ask questions to gain insight and understanding of their existing knowledge, thoughts and ideas around migrating to the cloud. Learning as much as you can about your client and their business, their goals, their pain points and what’s driving them to the cloud, will help you define the right solution for them.

3. Build on client feedback

The client journey doesn’t end once you have made the sale – in fact, in many ways, it’s just the beginning. Journey with your client on their migration to the cloud - support them through the transition. By doing this, you may identify further opportunities to help get them from where they currently are to where they need to be to reach their goals. Don’t be afraid to regularly ask your clients about their cloud experience. It’s a great opportunity to re-evaluate your approach and identify the need for additional products or solutions they might be interested in (cloud and non-cloud alike). When it comes to feedback, it pays off to be customer-obsessed.

4. Adapt your approach to your clients’ pace

Few companies make the decision to move their entire environment to the cloud from Day 1. Most start with just a basic package and if all works well, they build on that, adding solutions and products as they need. Accompanying the clients along the way is a great opportunity to forge deeper, more meaningful relationships that will translate in steadily increasing profits over time. The key is to travel with your customer along this road to make them aware of additional functionalities, products or services available to them whilst giving them the time and space they need to make informed decisions.

5. Multiply the opportunities with multi-cloud

With cloud there is no “one solution fits all”, which means the resellers need to embrace a more solution based approach. Accept that in order to meet all of your clients’ objectives and help them thrive in the market, it may be necessary to provide them with a customised offering that includes cloud solutions from different vendors. This provides you with an opportunity to differentiate yourself in the market place and provide a total value-add solution, as opposed to a single product-oriented solution offered by your competitors.